In Java, the break
statement is a powerful tool for controlling program flow and terminating loops. It allows you to exit out of loops prematurely or skip the remaining code within a loop or switch statement.
There are two types of break
statements in Java:
- Unlabeled
break
statement - Labeled
break
statement
The unlabeled break
statement is used to terminate and exit the loop constructs. It allows you to skip the remaining statements within the loop and continue execution after the enclosing statement.
The labeled break
statement allows you to terminate and exit an outer loop or a labeled statement. It provides more control over which statement to break out of when there are multiple nested loop constructs.
Here are examples of using the unlabeled break
statement in different loop types:
break in for Loop
This is the code snippet for using unlabeled break
statement in for
loop.
for (int count = 1; count <= 10; count++) {
if (count == 6) {
break;
}
System.out.println(count);
}
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
break in Enhanced for Loop
This is the code snippet for using unlabeled break
statement in enhanced for
loop.
int[] counts = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10};
for (int count: counts) {
if (count == 6) {
break;
}
System.out.println(count);
}
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
break in while Loop
This is the code snippet for using unlabeled break
statement in while
loop.
int count1 = 1;
while (count1 <= 10) {
if (count1 == 6) {
break;
}
System.out.println(count1);
count1++;
}
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
break in do-while Loop
This is the code snippet for using unlabeled break
statement in do-while
loop.
int count2 = 1;
do {
if (count2 == 6) {
break;
}
System.out.println(count2);
count2++;
} while (count2 <= 10);
Output:
1
2
3
4
5
break in switch Statement
This is the code snippet for using unlabeled break
statement in switch
statement.
String day = "Thursday";
switch (day) {
case "Monday":
case "Tuesday":
case "Wednesday":
case "Thursday":
case "Friday":
System.out.printf("%s is a weekday%n", day);
break;
case "Saturday":
case "Sunday":
System.out.printf("%s is a weekend%n", day);
break;
default:
System.out.printf("%s is an invalid day%n", day);
}
Output:
Thursday is a weekday
String
type argument to switch
statement to compare the value.Labeled break Statement
Here’s an example using a labeled break
statement to terminate and exit the outer for
loop.
LabeledBreakStatementExample.java
public class LabeledBreakStatementExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
outerLoop:
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
for (int j = 1; j <= 5; j++) {
if (i == 3 && j == 3) {
break outerLoop;
}
System.out.printf("i = %d, j = %d%n", i, j);
}
}
}
}
Output:
i = 1, j = 1
i = 1, j = 2
i = 1, j = 3
i = 1, j = 4
i = 1, j = 5
i = 2, j = 1
i = 2, j = 2
i = 2, j = 3
i = 2, j = 4
i = 2, j = 5
i = 3, j = 1
i = 3, j = 2
Summary
In this tutorial, we’ve covered the usage of both unlabeled and labeled break
statements in Java. You’ve learned how to terminate loops prematurely, skip iterations, and gain more control over program flow.
Mastering the break
statement is essential for writing efficient and concise code in Java. It allows you to design loops and switch statements that break out of specific conditions or terminate when certain criteria are met.
You can find the example codes for this tutorial on GitHub.